Awhile back Renegade reviewed this book for us on "Clear Eyes, Full Shelves and absolutely loved it. I was cynical because 1) the cover is ridiculouslAwhile back Renegade reviewed this book for us on "Clear Eyes, Full Shelves and absolutely loved it. I was cynical because 1) the cover is ridiculously bad (I know, I know... don't judge a book by its cover and all that) 2) the jacket description sounded kind of melodramatic and 2) it's a category romance and I have an aversion to them because the few I've encountered have felt formulaic.

Well, I should have listened to Renegade, because this book is really super.

I picked up Within Reach when it was a freebie on Harlequin's website last week and didn't plan on reading anytime soon. But, last night I left the paper book I was reading in the living room and was too lazy to haul myself out of bed to go it (it's been a loooooong week) so I picked up my Kindle (not really mine, since my husband accidentally broke my Kindle--this is his that I've commandeered) and Within Reach was sitting at the top of my "Recent" collection so I figured I'd read a few chapters and crash. Except I accidentally read the entire thing.

Renegade's review pretty much covered why this book is so good, and I echo all of her thoughts. I was so surprised by what a sad book this is, despite that it's a romance, and you know a happy ever after is a given. What struck me the most is how much both Angie and Michael love Billie, who died suddenly at 32. Nothing feels forced or rushed, as both have to figure out who they are without their best friend and wife, respectively. The two having to figure a way forward for themselves as individuals first made Within Reach feel emotionally authentic, which is my litmus test for romances. Both are also decent people, who want to do the right thing by Billie's memory and for Michael and Billie's children.

My only niggle (aside from the one in the spoiler below--which isn't really a spoiler, but more a discussion of one of my hot-button issues) would be that there's a huge time jump between the first chapter when we see Billie's death and the second, which takes place ten months in the future. I would have liked to see more about the immediate aftermath of losing Billie, because it would have created more context for the connection between the two in terms of losing Billie. But, despite that, this is definitely one I'd put on my yet-to-be-developed list of Romance for People Who Think They Don't Like Romance.

(view spoiler)[Again in this book, like in many romances I've read, the condom use (or lack thereof) is suspect. The two's first sexual encounter is a frantic sort of situation and they don't even discuss condoms, which makes sense in the context of the story. However, after the fact, Michael (rightly) apologizes for that and Angie tells him she's on the pill and it doesn't matter. In her internal monologue, she thinks something along the lines of, "Plus, she trusted Michael." First off, trust is not adequate protection against STDs. That's sex ed 101. Secondly, in this case, Michael is the one who should have pressed this issue because while he'd been in a monogamous relationship with his late wife for many, many years, Angie was single and who knows who else she told she "trusted" and didn't need to worry about condoms. I know people don't like to deal with this in books because it's not sexy, but like I always say, gonorrhea is also not sexy. (hide spoiler)]["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>...more

I am very seriously considering upgrading this one to five stars. Heart of Steel was recommended by a friend whose taste is very similar to my own, soI am very seriously considering upgrading this one to five stars. Heart of Steel was recommended by a friend whose taste is very similar to my own, so I looked past the heinous cover (thanks to my ereader) and aversion to steampunk and gave it a try. And, holy moly, am I glad I did. Heart of Steel is seriously badass.

-Yasmeen is a fantastic lead character. She's tough and smart and capable. I loved her as the captain of an airship, and her loyalty to her crew.-Archimedes Fox is delightful. He's funny and a clotheshorse and awkwardly in touch with is feelings. Brilliant character.-Holy hell! The world is phenomenal. I've had a hard time with steampunk in the past because I've been driven to distraction by the detailed description of gadgets, etc, but did not have this problem in Heart of Steel. The world is very complex (I had to look at Brooks' website to get my head around it), but not overwhelming. There's so much richness, it seems that this series could go on for a long time without it feeling stale.-Hello, diverse characters! -Witty dialogue. I love me some snappy dialogue that feels real.-The gender dynamics are fascinating and very well-handled.-At its core, the is an action-adventure novel and, gosh, it's been a long time since I've read one that I've gotten this sucked into. The pacing is fantastic.

Recommended, especially for folks who have tried steampunk and not had it work for them (but read up on the series on the author's website.

An aside:

But, seriously, Berkley, what the hell is up with the cover of this book? This is such a better novel than the way the publisher chose to package it! I read this on my Kindle. In the days before ereaders, there is no way I'd pick this book up, regardless of the enthusiastic recommendation I received. It's nonsensical and badly designed and tell you nothing about the story. Check out the fabulous cover for the German edition:

Now, that, I would pick up in a heartbeat, even if it hadn't been recommended to me. Thank goodness for ereaders and friends who make good book recommendations...

I read this book because it had a pretty cover & the author had a fantastic bio, something along the lines of "I became a writer because I was unaI read this book because it had a pretty cover & the author had a fantastic bio, something along the lines of "I became a writer because I was unable to obtain gainful employment..."--which I totally respect.

What surprised me is that it was a really sweet book. Nothing ground-breaking, and kind of sappy and over-wrought and teenager-y (16 year old me would have adored it), but it was sweet nonetheless. I needed some brain candy when I read this one and it fit the bill.

Werewolf mythology fascinated me when I was a kid (and wolves in general always have), and while I hadn't really thought about it in a long time, I appreciated that the author got creative with her werewolf premise.